'Incapable of obtaining neurons from bone-marrow stem cells'

(ANSA) - Rome, January 8 - A report on the controversial
'Stamina' stem-cell treatment has found a key part of the
therapy lacking in both premise and practice.
In a copy of the report obtained by ANSA, a panel of
experts appointed by Italy's health ministry in December found
the treatment to be incapable of obtaining neurons from
patients' bone-marrow stem cells, the central step in the
untested process.

The theory of Stamina therapy is based on extracting
bone-marrow stem cells from the patient, turning them into
neurons by exposing them to retinoic acid for two hours, and
injecting them back into the patient.

On Tuesday, Nature science journal said the experts' report
cited "serious imperfections and omissions in the Stamina
protocol, including conceptual errors and an apparent ignorance
of stem-cell biology".

"Some sections of the protocol were copied from Wikipedia,"
it added.
Supporters of the therapy say it could be a cure for fatal
degenerative nerve diseases such as spinal muscular atrophy,
while detractors say it is devoid of scientific merit.
The first expert panel that the Italian government
appointed had been asked to come up with a trial design for the
therapy.
However, it concluded in September that the treatment has
no scientific merit and that there was no point in doing the
study, for which the Italian government had allocated three
million euros.
Following a public outcry including demonstrations by
wheelchair-bound patients threatening to turn off their oxygen
supply in protest, Italy's health ministry appointed a second
expert panel in December.
But it appears to have reached the same conclusions as the
first panel, recommending the treatment not be administered in
public hospitals.